Steelers sign free agent receiver Plaxico Burress

Steelers sign free agent receiver Plaxico Burress

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Plaxico Burress is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh signed the 35-year-old wide receiver on Tuesday to provide depth at a position decimated by injuries. Antonio Brown has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle and Jerricho Cotchery fractured his ribs late in Sunday night’s 13-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Burress spent his first five seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, who selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He played for the New York Jets last year, catching 45 passes for 612 yards and tying for the team lead with eight touchdown receptions. He missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons while serving a 20-month prison sentence stemming from a gun charge.